Safe & sound in Haiti

So here I am...I received a really warm reception here in Port au Prince from my Haitian and international community- it was SO nice. My flight was delayed at least 30 minutes due to freezing rain in Montreal, with a fairly uneventful flight (um, they fed us champagne and wine which helped us to forget about the delay!). Upon arrival, I was (as always) struck by the heat, but at least this time, I wasn't wearing long johns (ugh!). I had forgotten what a crazy scene it is to get your luggage at the airport in Haiti- I wanted to take a photo, but it was so crazy, I didn't want to miss my baggage zooming through the conveyor belts, so forgot about the photo in the end. I had forgotten how beautiful Haitians are- I admired them on the flight from Montreal- and I also forgot how pushy they can be when it comes to getting luggage. You go to get your cart to put your luggage in, and squeeze in around the carousel that delivers luggage from the plane, and are immediately hugged on all sides by people who don't seem to have the same 'space' boundaries that I do. And the luggage is brought to the carousel one shipment at a time- so it takes quite a long time to empty the plane of all cargo. I probably waited a good 30+ minutes before seeing my luggage come around, and then, both bags were together, so happy ending.

Ton and Annio were there to greet me at the airport, so we went out to catch a tap-tap- only to have someone from a tap tap yell, "We don't pick up white people!". (As an aside, this is a rarity!). So, a private taxi stopped for us, and we got a reduced rate to come to the base camp.

Lots has changes here at the base- Ton took me on a tour, and it was great to see the new structures that have been erected, the fridge & stove (both new additions!) to the kitchen, and many other treats. But it wouldn't have been a proper welcome without running to the 'Hole in the Wall' to buy Prestige beer for my friends, so I made sure to do so. 

Tomorrow I'll join Andy to help out on his light clay/straw and plastic bottle structure- looking forward to that!

But for now, a bit of sleeping to make up for a couple of short nights.